Low Dose IL-2 Therapy Can Restore the Balance of Th17 and Treg Cells in Refractory Patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome

Miao Miao¹, Shengxiao Zhang¹, Xiao-Qing Liu¹, Xiaoyan Wu², Chong Gao³ and Xiao-Feng Li², ¹The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China, ²Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China, ³Department of Pathology, Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, Cambridge, MA

Meeting: 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 28, 2016

Keywords: Sjogren's syndrome, T-Regulatory Cells and interleukins (IL)

Session Information

Date: Sunday, November 13, 2016

Title: Sjögren's Syndrome - Poster I: Translational Science

Session Type: ACR Poster Session A

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: The therapy for sjogren’s syndrome (SS) focuses on biological agents, immune inhibitors and glucocorticoid which can’t correct the problem of unbalance of Th17 and Regulatory T (Treg) cells in refractory patients. It was reported that IL-2 had a critical effect on homeostatic maintenance of the Th17 and Treg cells and the ratio of them. The study is to explore the effect of low dose IL-2 therapy on the balance of Treg and Th17 cells in refractory patients with SS and observe the efficiency and side effects of the therapy.

Methods: SS patients (n=18) (from march 1^st to may 30^thin 2016, both outpatients and inpatients in our department, according to American-European Consensus Group criteria for SS) with decreased Treg cells (18/18) and increased ratio of Th17/Treg (16/18), who were refractory to standard therapy including glucocorticoid, immune-suppressants, biological agents or combination of them, were given low-dose IL-2 (50 WIU/day for 5 days) by hypodermic injection. Laboratory indicators were compared before and after IL-2 treatment. The side effects were observed in the course of therapy.

Results: The number of Treg cells significantly increased after the treatment and returned to normal range in 89% (16/18) of patients by 1 week (12.24±3.95 vs. 48.10±33.21, p<0.01). At the same time, there was a significantly decrease in the ratio of Th17/Treg cells (0.66±0.52 vs. 0.36±0.41, p<0.1), which returned to normal range in 7 patients and was lower in 14 patients. Besides, Th17 cells were also increased (8.11±6.72 vs. 12.91±10.04, p<0.1). Clinical manifestations were improved after the combitional treatment of IL-2 and traditional drugs. No obvious adverse reactions were observed.

Conclusion: Low dose IL-2 therapy can restore and maintain the balance of Th17 and Treg cells in the refractory patients with SS. Manifestation improved after the combitional therapy. The therapy is safe. More research is needed to investigate long term efficiency of the therapy and the prognosis of the patients.

Disclosure: M. Miao, None; S. Zhang, None; X. Q. Liu, None; X. Wu, None; C. Gao, None; X. F. Li, National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 81301532/H0603) and the Shanxi Scholarship council of China (no. 2013-118), 2.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Miao M, Zhang S, Liu XQ, Wu X, Gao C, Li XF. Low Dose IL-2 Therapy Can Restore the Balance of Th17 and Treg Cells in Refractory Patients with Sjogren’s Syndrome [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/low-dose-il-2-therapy-can-restore-the-balance-of-th17-and-treg-cells-in-refractory-patients-with-sjogrens-syndrome/. Accessed .

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